phobia

noun pho·bia \ ˈfō-bē-ə \

|Updated on: 17 Jul 2018

Examples: phobia in a Sentence

Definition of phobia

: an exaggerated usually inexplicable and illogical fear of a particular object, class of objects, or situation

See phobia defined for English-language learners

See phobia defined for kids

Examples of phobia in a Sentence

His fear of crowds eventually developed into a phobia.

Recent Examples of phobia from the Web

Far more people have a fear of flying that doesn’t reach phobia levels, despite the fact that people are flying more than ever before and plenty of data shows it’s a reliably safe way to travel.

— jamie ducharme, Time, "Why Some People Have a Crippling Fear of Flying — and How They Can Overcome It," 6 July 2018
Based on some studies, sporting and herding dogs are at higher risk of developing storm phobias.

— kim campbell thornton, sacbee, "Five ways to help your pet stay calm when a storm sweeps in," 13 June 2018
Murphy, the mastermind behind the franchise, incorporated Paulson’s real-life phobias into the character — most notably, her fear of groupings of holes.

— yvonne villarreal, latimes.com, "Sarah Paulson's own fears became the basis for her character's anxieties in 'American Horror Story: Cult'," 31 May 2018
Some of the challenges for businesses trying to develop pet-friendly policies are allergies, property damage and animal phobias, Yost said.

— kelly tyko, USA TODAY, "Take your dog to work? These 'employees' wag their tails," 21 June 2018
This type of treatment, known as exposure therapy, allows people to face their traumas, phobias and anxieties by gradually exposing them to the feared stimulus.

— juli fraga, chicagotribune.com, "People with eating disorders use apps to navigate supermarket aisles," 21 May 2018
He was ridden with phobias of death, darkness, and open spaces.

— peter schjeldahl, The New Yorker, "Giacometti’s Skinny Sublimity," 6 June 2018
In fact, social anxiety (aka social phobia), is an intense anxiety or fear of being judged, negatively evaluated, or rejected in a social or performance situation, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America.

— korin miller, SELF, "6 Things People Need to Stop Getting Wrong About Social Anxiety," 12 Apr. 2018
All this is bad enough abroad but obscene when the Soros-phobia migrates to the USA.

— trudy rubin, Philly.com, "Roseanne's other twisted tweet of the week. (The one you didn't already read about) | Trudy Rubin," 1 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'phobia.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of phobia

-phobia

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1786

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

Other Psychology Terms

fetish, hypochondria, intelligence, mania, narcissism, neurosis, pathological, psychosis, schadenfreude, subliminal

-phobia

noun combining form

Definition of -phobia

1 : exaggerated fear of

acrophobia

2 : intolerance or aversion for

photophobia

Origin and Etymology of -phobia

New Latin, from Late Latin, from Greek, from -phobos fearing, from phobos fear, flight, from phebesthai to flee; akin to Lithuanian bėgti to flee, Old Church Slavonic běžati

PHOBIA Defined for English Language Learners

phobia

noun

Definition of phobia for English Language Learners

: an extremely strong dislike or fear of someone or something

-phobia

noun combining form

Definition of -phobia for English Language Learners

: an extremely strong dislike or fear of someone or something

PHOBIA Defined for Kids

phobia

noun pho·bia \ ˈfō-bē-ə \

Definition of phobia for Students

: an unreasonable, abnormal, and lasting fear of something

Medical Dictionary

phobia

noun pho·bia \ ˈfō-bē-ə \

medical Definition of phobia

: an exaggerated and often disabling fear usually inexplicable to the subject and having sometimes a logical but usually an illogical or symbolic object, class of objects, or situation — compare compulsion, obsession